Foundation for the Development of Western Syria Warns of Dangerous Escalation Targeting the Christian Community in Syria and Threatening Civil Peace

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Foundation for the Development of Western Syria (the “Foundation”) expresses its strongest condemnation of a series of extremist attacks and coordinated movements witnessed across several Syrian provinces. These developments represent a dangerous escalation that threatens Syria’s social fabric and specifically targets the country’s indigenous Christian community.

I. Attack on the City of Al-Suqaylabiyah

According to field sources, a coordinated attack was carried out by armed groups originating from Qalaat al-Madiq, reportedly operating under the protection and support of the so-called “General Security Service.” The assault targeted the Christian-majority city of Al-Suqaylabiyah in the Hama countryside. Local sources in Hama also report that armed groups have destroyed a statue of the Virgin Mary in the Al-Abra neighborhood of Al-Suqaylabiyah. This act of vandalism serves as a direct symbolic assault against the Christian community and underscores the level of targeted incitement.

The Foundation has documented the following:

• Direct Sectarian Targeting: Heavy gunfire directed at residential homes, places of worship, and commercial properties, causing widespread fear among civilians.
• Systematic Looting and Vandalism: Organized attacks on private property, theft of motorcycles, and destruction of public infrastructure.
• Risk of Forced Displacement: These acts constitute a grave threat to the Christian population in the area and raise serious concerns about potential displacement under coercion and violence.

II. Cross-Provincial Escalation Under the “Anti-Alcohol Campaign”

The attack coincided with large-scale hardline Salafi demonstrations across Damascus, Homs, Hama, Idlib, Daraa, and Deir ez-Zor, organized under the banner of the “Anti-Alcohol Campaign.”

These demonstrations appear to be a retaliatory and provocative response to recent protests by Christian and secular communities in Damascus (notably in the Bab Touma district), which called for civil liberties and rejected sectarian policies.

During these events, the Foundation documented:

• Incendiary Sectarian Rhetoric: The use of inflammatory and exclusionary slogans, including chants regarding “Return of the Army of Muhammad” and the “Liberation of Gaza” used as a cover for internal incitement.
• Extremist Symbolism in Public Spaces: The visible display of ISIS flags in public squares, reportedly without intervention by government security forces.
• Coordinated Hate Speech Campaigns: A surge in organized online incitement targeting minority communities and promoting social division against “the other.”

III. Statement from the Foundation

The Foundation considers these developments a direct threat to Syrian national stability and a resurgence of extremist ideologies that endanger the country’s unity and diversity.

“The targeting of Al-Suqaylabiyah and the spread of sectarian incitement are not isolated incidents. They represent a coordinated assault on the principles of citizenship, pluralism, and coexistence upon which Syria is built. We call upon the international community and human rights organizations to take immediate action to protect civilians and prevent further escalation toward a devastating sectarian conflict.”